The Slayer and the Sphinx
Plot "What if every magical creature you'd ever heard of was real, driven into hiding by an army of violent zealots? This is reality for Sarah Heisen and Porter Collins. Sarah is a sphinx living a life of luxury in her family's mansion. Hidden from all danger, but shut off from the world, she wants nothing more than to escape. Porter is the Slayer's most promising recruit, and his skill is matched only by his hatred for those he hunts. The two are brought together as enemies, but fate has different plans for them. When an accident erases Porter's memory, he clings to Sarah for support. Now they are lost, injured, and helpless. If they want to survive, they will have to work together- and they may change the world as a result." Characters Porter Collins: A sixteen year old human male. Trained from birth to hunt and kill Mythics, Porter shows the potential to be one of the greatest Slayers ever. When an accident befalls him on a hunt, he loses his memory and latches onto Sarah Heisen to support him. Sarah Heisen: A sixteen year old female sphinx. She has the face of a teenage girl, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. Her father owns a very successful business, and used the money to build a massive mansion. With the threat of the Slayers always looming, Sarah has never been allowed to set foot outside of Heisen Manor. While traumatizing, Porter's attack on her home actually gave her the chance to explore the outside world the way she'd always dreamed of. Tick: An eight year old male chimera. Has snow white hair and a catlike tail of the same color. Tick was being held captive by a slave trader who also captured Sarah. When Porter came to rescue her, they brought Tick with them and made him a permanent member of the group. He was raised in the circus, and his tail lends him inhuman balance. He also has the ability to control people with his singing voice, a power his mother called "the Angel's Voice." Droma: A male giant. Age unknown. Droma is over nine feet tall, and a blacksmith who has mastered Soul Smithing, the ability to imbue everything he crafts with a piece of his soul. This allows him to summon any weapon or piece of armor he wants with a mere thought. He lives in solitude in the woods, but agrees to become Porter and Sarah's guide when he finds them lost, and becomes a permanent part of their group. Azkular, Commander: A 600 year old male djinn, and the guardian authority over Jellaska Kob Lertan. Instead of blood, he has blue fire in his veins that is fueled by anger. He has a no nonsense personality and holds a grudge against any and all humans for the Slayers' persecution of his people. A highly skilled fighter, his fire provides supernatural speed, strength, and healing abilities, as well as the power to form solid objects out of the flames. He initially takes Porter captive and interrogates him about the Slayers. Upon the destruction of the dwarf city, Azkular goes with Porter and becomes a permanent member of the group. Lowatai Elan: A female elf of the Ragga clan. Ageless. Lowatai has been the leader of the Ragga elves for longer than even she can remember. She has the unique power to read people's destinies, oftentimes aided by a set of magical dice, which also gives her the title of Oracle. She is the first sentient being Porter and Sarah meet after becoming lost in the woods, and it was she who gave Porter Flicker, his living sword. Vesper: A male elf of the Ragga clan. Ageless. Like many Mythics, Vesper bares a deep and burning hatred for the human race. This, coupled by his inflated ego and desperate need to be noticed, makes him a bit of a wildcard in Lowatai's clan. When Porter defeats and humiliates him in a duel, Vesper abandons his clan and lays a trap for Porter at Jellaska Kob Lertan. Faska: A male elf of the Ragga clan. Ageless. Lowatai's second in command, Faska thus became the leader of the Ragga elves when Lowatai died. Faska is both brave and wise, but is convinced he will never be able to live up to Lowatai's legacy and is doomed to fail his clan. Ozzie Druid: A sixteen year old human male. Porter's partner in the Slayers and his best friend. While Porter's natural skill got him promoted in record time, Ozzie was left behind in training. Traumatized by the deaths of his father and sister as a young child, rumor has it that Ozzie is slowly going mad. Even so, he gives Porter his undying loyalty. David Heisen: A 200 year old male sphinx. Sarah's father, and the ceo of Lockout, the business that made the Heisens their fortune. While he loves Sarah more than life itself, he is very strict with her. He has never let her leave the house, and doesn't intend to do so until he is convinced she can take care of herself. Whether that day will ever come is anyone's guess. Melissa Heisen: A 150 year old female sphinx. Sarah's mother. While she loves her daughter as much as her husband does, but still supports her husband's rules about leaving the house. Even so, she sympathizes with her daughter, and it was her idea to move their family to Jellaska Kob Lertan before the Slayers attacked the manor. Mrs. Rasta: A 300 year old female banshee. Mrs. Rasta is the Heisen's maid, and Sarah's caretaker in her parents' numerous absences. She hovers with her toes dangling exactly twelve inches above the floor, and enjoys singing opera and eating freshly killed rats. She loves Sarah as much as her parents do, but Sarah considers her as bland as old porridge. Drake Mortoph: A 57 year old human male. Mortoph is the leader of the Slayers, and the most powerful man on the planet. His inhuman strength, skill with the sword, cunning mind, and magical powers make him an unstoppable force that even the most powerful Mythics can't stand against. People around him often feel that he exudes a sense of fear, which can become outright terror when his mood worsens. While outwardly he seems to care about the men under his command, one has to wonder if he sees them as people or mere tools to achieve his ends. Granger: A 79 year old human male. The third-in-command Slayer and Porter's idol. He personally saw to much of Porter's training, and sees the orphan boy almost as a son. Easily identifiable by his thin stature, bald head, and bushy red beard, Granger fights with a katana and is one of the most accomplished Slayers of his generation. He is surprisingly spry and strong for a man his age, making him more than a match for almost anything he comes across. He views loyalty as the most important virtue a man can have, and is completely devoted to the Slayers. Dominic Vega: A 37 year old human male. The second-in-command Slayer. Vega was a Navy SEAL before he was court martialed for various war crimes. Drake Mortoph sprang him from prison with the promise that as a Slayer he would be able to kill as indiscriminately as he wanted. Vega carries a pack of handmade wooden javelins on his back that he can use as either close or long range weapons. He has also mastered controlling them with magic, making him able to overwhelm his enemies with the sheer number of his spears. He and Granger rarely see eye to eye, which annoys him since Mortoph assigns them to work together so often. Rayalga, Arch-Mythic: A male gryphon. Arch-Mythic Rayalga has been the undisputed leader of the Mythic society for centuries. Nobody knows his exact age, suffice to say that he is one of the most ancient living creatures in the world. While proud and fearless, he nevertheless makes sure his people are hidden safely from human eyes at all times. He often thinks of going to war with the Slayers, but always comes to the conclusion that he can't risk their safety by exposing them like that. Joseph Turnball: An eighteen year old male satyr. Joseph lives in the Sanctuary Jellaska Kob Lertan and works as a waiter in one of its restaurants. In his time off he enjoys playing in a band that performs at one of the local coffee shops. Joseph is both friendly and outgoing, but his absolute hatred of humans keeps Sarah from growing too fond of him during her time there. He escapes the city with Porter, Tick, and Azkular, but then takes Tick and runs when the group is planning to launch an attack on the Slayers. Mogul: A 100 year old male gorgon. Mogul lives in Jellaska Kob Lertan, and runs a shady matchmaking business that barely pays his bills. With his patented "Mogul Cards," he is able to match people with their perfect soul mates in an instant. He is astounded when he finds out Porter and Sarah are in love, and sacrifices himself during the Slayer attack to get them to safety, claiming that love like theirs is too precious to waste. Misoki, aka Misty Druid: A sixteen year old female werewolf. When Ozzie's father was killed by a satyr, they told him that his sister Misty perished as well. Meanwhile, Misty was told a similar lie about Ozzie, and they were both inducted to the Slayers without either knowing the other was alive. Unlike Ozzie, though, Misty was adopted by Drake Mortoph himself, and then transformed into a werewolf to act as his spy in the Mythic world. Taking the name Misoki, Misty has become completely dependent on her abusive father's praise and acceptance. While she acts wily and street smart in the field, her true childlike nature is revealed whenever she so much as glimpses her "daddy." Other Porter: A sixteen year old male human(?). When Mortoph Repurposed Porter as a small child, he didn't erase Porter's true self the way he thought he did. Instead, the real Porter was locked away and put to sleep and a new personality of Mortoph's own construction was put in control. When Vesper administered the Yin potion to Porter in Jellaska Kob Lertan, that personality was given its own body. Other Porter is who Porter used to be when he was in the Slayers, and he hates the real Porter with a burning passion. His only goal is to prove himself to be the real Porter, and if not that then at least the superior one. Almira Strife: An old woman who lives in Westwillow. Not much is known of her, but she is a sympathizer to the Mythic plight. When Sarah is kidnapped by the slave traders, Almira gives Porter a discreet hint to help him find her. Uthas Drall: The Fear Feeder. An ageless and ancient being that fed on the fear of others. In the times before recorded history, Uthas Drall ruled the world until he was dethroned by the budding Slayers of Darkness and sealed away in an alternate dimension. Not much more is known than that.